Peril at the Exposition by Nev March

Peril at the Exposition

by Nev March

1893: Newlyweds Captain Jim Agnihotri and Diana Framji are settling into their new home in Boston, Massachusetts, having fled the strict social rules of British Bombay. It's a different life than what they left behind, but theirs is no ordinary marriage: Jim, now a detective at the Dupree Agency, is teaching Diana the art of deduction he’s learned from his idol, Sherlock Holmes.

Everyone is talking about the preparations for the World's Fair in Chicago: the grandeur, the speculation, the trickery. Captain Jim will experience it first-hand: he's being sent to Chicago to investigate the murder of a man named Thomas Grewe. As Jim probes the underbelly of Chicago’s docks, warehouses, and taverns, he discovers deep social unrest and some deadly ambitions.

When Jim goes missing, young Diana must venture to Chicago's treacherous streets to learn what happened. But who can she trust, when a single misstep could mean disaster?

Award-winning author Nev March mesmerised readers with her Edgar finalist debut, Murder in Old Bombay. Now, in Peril at the Exposition, she wields her craft against the glittering landscape of the Gilded Age with spectacular results.

Reviewed by annieb123 on

4 of 5 stars

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Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Peril at the Exposition is the second book in a historical mystery series by Nev March. Released 12th July 2022 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 352 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 12 hours and 11 minutes and is capably narrated by Safiyya Ingar and Vikas Adam. The sound and production quality are high throughout.

This is such a richly imagined and well written historical mystery. The titular protagonist, Captain Jim Agnihotri, is a half English, half Indian officer and investigator who leaves India to take up a job in America with his young wife. He deals with racism because of his upbringing and skin color as well as being an Englishman in the US.

The relationship between Jim and his wife Diana is refreshingly honest (and modern). She's intelligent and headstrong, if naive. Both of them have a distinct honesty that's refreshing to read. The mystery is well constructed and the prose is nuanced and enjoyable. I did however find myself bumped out of my suspension of disbelief by some outlandish plot elements (a naive young woman of color out to save the city on her own, endangering everyone). The action moves the plot along quickly and the denouement and resolution are satisfying and fair play.

There are some very light romance elements, but not nearly to the degree of the first book. Readers who prefer strong romance subplots in their books will not find it here. There are some sweetly romantic moments between the (married) protagonists, but it's all euphemistically described and all "dancing" occurs off-page.

Four stars. An amazingly well written follow-up for a new and very promising writer.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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